The Final Straw
by dardanellia
Summary: Ichika gets almost killed by jealous Rin. After this, Ichika decides that it's finally time for him to leave the IS Academy for good. However, two girls accompany him on this new journey.


**CHAPTER 1**

Ichika opened his eyes. It wasn't the usual pale roof of his own dorm room at the Academy. The distinctly bright white color of the roof could only indicate to Ichika that he was not in his own room – but actually in a medical room. Bright daylight emitted from the large window on his right. Ichika immediately tried to shut his eyes because the light was too bright. It had been a few days since he'd seen daylight. His vision was also unusually blurry. But it wasn't just feeling in his eyes that was different.

Though he did not move his limbs much, Ichika could feel that they were somewhat different like they were not his own. Ichika tried clenching his fists. They felt weak. The sensation was different, too. It was like his right hand was like a left hand – a hand that he was not accustomed to. He couldn't even clench them hard enough to get his nails to reach the palm. Ichika released his fingers as he no longer could clench his hands. He attempted to curl his own toes. It felt like an impossible deed. It was so painful for him. Like a divine being tried to intervene in order to stop him to simply curl his own toes. But it was somewhat to be expected to feel weak after being in a hospital bed for so long. But even Ichika knew that he was perhaps feeling too unwell even being in a hospital for a long duration.

Ichika had no mirror to look at and he did not bother to rise up from the bed where he was laying. Ichika felt that his legs wouldn't keep him up. His face was different. Though he could not see the actual difference on his face, by putting a hand on his cheek and then moving it across his face, Ichika now understood that he had some scars on his face. Serious scars, too. Ichika began to worry a lot as he feared that he might be deformed. Feeling so many scars on his face was not a good indicator. Ichika could only hope that they healed at least partially or he only had some stitches on his face. And he'd better pray for the modern medicine to do a miracle to him.

Soon, after realizing the magnitude of his injuries, Ichika began to reflect on the past events that lead to his current situation.

* * *

**(A week earlier)**

It had been just another day at the IS Academy. Well, this day would turn out a bit different.

Yamada Maya, the assistant teacher, was standing in front of the class behind her desk. Like always, she seemed a bit nervous but she soon calmed down a bit and she looked to her left towards the class's entrance. Maya then said that another exchange student would be introduced. This was certainly a surprise for Ichika and for the rest of the class. This class had received so many exchange students this year and in a very rapid space. Maybe there was just something special about this class. After all, the only man able to pilot an IS suit, Orimura Ichika was here – and the fabled Brunhilde, Orimura Chifuyu.

"I am Charlotte Dunois. Nice to meet all of you ~.'' The girl said.

"Shit ". Ichika could only think.

This was not a good situation for Ichika. Even the densest man on Earth could sense that something would soon go wrong.

Charles Dunois, or now known as Charlotte Dunois was reintroducing herself in front of the class. Previously, she'd been there pretending to be a boy, the 2nd ever man to pilot an IS.

But now, her close secret was out.

He was actually a _she_.

Ichika now wished that Charlotte should've consulted him about this. He had thought all along that she might reveal her true sex much later.  
While cross-dressing was certainly an odd thing to do and in this instance, it might also have legal repercussions as Charlotte had failed her mission, which was to spy on Ichika and gather data from Ichika's IS, Byakushiki. Who knew what would be the next move of the Dunois Enterprise or the French Government because this failure might just be close to national treason.

However, the future repercussions for Charlotte's failure did not bother Ichika at this moment.

Instead, now that her secret was out, the girls were pretty mad. Saying that they were mad was an understatement.

In the few weeks, he'd gotten close with Charlotte, although during most of that time Ichika thought she was a boy. But the reveal of her true gender did not ruin "their friendship. They were good partners together when it came to fighting as a pair. They managed to defeat both Laura and Houki that way.

It had just been few days after the tournament was canceled because of the VT System that Laura had used against him and Charlotte in the duel. If Ichika recalled correctly, today Laura could get out of the medical room. Her injuries were more mental than physical, so she didn't have to be there for too long. It remained to be seen how they would resolve their conflict.

Soon, Ichika realized it was a mistake that he went to a boy's bath with Charlotte yesterday. Of course, nothing too "special " happened between them in the bath. They just had a warm talk about her stay in the Academy. Charlotte revealed that she only wanted to stay at the Academy because "he " was there. Ichika had not paid attention to the actual truth behind her statement but nonetheless, Ichika was glad that he had another friend here in the Academy. Ichika had expected to call Charlotte by her real name given by her own mother only in private as she'd asked in the bath. Now it was no longer necessary.

However, despite the fact that nothing had happened there, it didn't prevent other girls from suspecting that something might have happened behind the closed doors. Some of the more perverted girls already thought that Ichika and Charlotte were in a yaoi-like relationship before it was revealed that Charlotte was a girl. True, Ichika had gotten awfully close with Charles/Charlotte but that was mostly because of the lack of other male presence here in the Academy. There was not a single man in the Academy, except him. His only male friends were many miles away.

Whispers were already loud as the other students realized that Charles was actually Charlotte. The pretty boy was, in fact, a pretty girl. The whispers only got much louder as the one student pointed out the fact that Ichika and Charlotte had gone to the boy's bath yesterday. A lot of stares were directed at Ichika. They were not happy stares either. Full of frowns and angry stares. His childhood friend Houki was especially frowning hard. But she always frowned. The English Representative Candidate, Cecilia Alcott, too, had an angry stare on her face but it was more like a jealous stare.

Ichika could now only hope that maybe his sister Chifuyu would soon arrive at the class. He'd no idea where she was now but once she arrived, preferably as soon as possible, the situation wouldn't escalate to something drastic. The girls here were pretty hot-headed. He had learned it the hard way in the past. At least, only one of them carried a bokkun with them. Otherwise, Ichika would receive quite a beating from all of these girls.

So far, Charlotte had a smile on her face. The gentle smile did bring some amount of joy to Ichika but it did not remove the fact that the situation there was dire because of the reveal of her true sex. But Ichika couldn't really blame Charlotte. Having to carry such a burden on her shoulders for so long and now throwing it away must've brought her a lot of relief. Knowing that fact, Ichika could feel some happiness inside him. The empathy for his friend Charlotte. Ever since her reintroduction, she'd looked at Ichika.

Noticing the worried stare on Ichika's face, Charlotte, too, became increasingly worried. Now, she started to think that perhaps this was a mistake. When Ichika noticed the sad expression on Charlotte's face, Ichika tried to make a reassuring smile. But that was soon impossible to do when the next thing happened.

Due to the fact that this was an all-girl school, the rumors could quickly spread because these girls were masters at gossiping. The information had already spread across the school when Charlotte had revealed her true gender to her class, and now other girls in other classes knew as well. This wouldn't have been too bad had it not reached the ears of a certain girl.

Rin, the 2nd childhood friend of Ichika, soon rushed into the classroom. She had just heard the rumors.

More seriously though, she had her IS deployed.

There was an angry yandere expression on Rin's face. Such an expression was considered to be cute by some people, or a "dangerously" cute expression.

But this was no cute expression in Ichika's mind. A serious danger loomed in Rin.

Ichika soon stood up. He was on the front so he was near to Rin. As he quickly exited from his desk, Ichika tried to somewhat reason with Rin. But he didn't get time to reason with her. None, actually.

Then, Rin displayed her Impact Cannons.

_Shit_.

_Shit_.

_Shit_.

Ichika tried to quickly his Byakushiki. But he was too slow.

He could soon feel a powerful blast around his body like it was solely directed towards him.

Ichika then flew backward and out the window. The blast was so powerful that it threw him out the window.

A mortified expression was on his face. Ichika couldn't believe his friend was trying to kill him. It really seemed that it was what Rin was doing.

As Ichika was flying out the window, he could see another person standing there where he'd just stood before he got blasted away.

_Laura Bodewig._

An unexpected person to be sure. She had her AIC deployed, which was there to protect from a blast. But Ichika was not there.

A shocked expression was on her face. She'd just failed to save her instructor's dear little brother – and her new crush.

Ichika fell down from the building towards the rough ground. He'd already passed out before hitting the ground. His last sight being the face of Laura.

Panicked screams could be heard from the class just above him.

* * *

The explosion from Rin's weapon had already aroused everyone's attention. But once the worrying screams from the Class 1-1 were heard, everyone close to the class started to worry. Word soon spread about what had happened to Ichika.

Everyone frantically got out of their classes and went downstairs and exited the school building to the site where Ichika's body was laying.  
Ichika's class was there, of course, first. Before they arrived at the scene, all of them had hoped that he was there just happily waiting – as he always had – and everything was fine.

But this time it was different.

The girls soon encountered a bloodied unmoving corpse on the ground. Undescribable amount of blood was surrounding his body. As he had fallen face straight to the ground, his face was deformed, full of bleeding wounds. Eyesockets were completely swollen and full of blood. Ichika's eyes could not be seen as they were covered in blood. Ichika's mouth was full of blood and most of it was just dripping out to the ground. Parts of his broken teeth were laying next to his mouth. To say that Ichika's limbs were in a bad state was an understatement. Some of the fingers were missing completely. They weren't even near his body. They had completely evaporated in the explosion. The veins and arteries of his arms were completely broken. Blood was spilling out of them. As the blood was not reaching his hands anymore, necrosis had already begun. His hands were essentially dead flesh at this point. His legs were in the same status. They were in a deformed form. Bone could be seen throughout his legs as the skin had been torn off by the explosion. However, the worst possible situation was in his internal organs. His stomach was slightly open and the organs were visible. The upper body had sustained most of the damage, especially the chest. Rib cages had small cracks on them and the skin over them was partially peeled off by the Shenlong's blast. Only Ichika's hair looked somewhat normal even if it was quite messy and had blood on it.

The tattered body before them horrified the girls. Many started frantically crying as they'd never seen such a gruesome sight in their lives. Ichika's friends cried too, Rin included. They had no clue if Ichika was even alive anymore. The body looked more like a corpse. Nobody knew what to do next.

''What's the commotion here?'' The silence was broken. It was no other than Chifuyu.

''Has my brother yet again caused trouble?'' She asked. Still unaware of Ichika's actual condition.

She was still walking through the crowd and even Chifuyu started to feel uneasy as she watched the sad stares of her students.

''Wh-what happened here,'' She could only think. Now she was getting really worried as she tried running through the ever-increasing crowd of female students as more students heard about what had happened to Ichika.

''ICHIKA!'' Chifuyu shouted with a trembling voice.

''No.. no..no… no… NO!'' She screamed.

Tears were forming in her face as she might have just lost her brother forever.

The girls watched with teary eyes as their once proud teacher could fall so low. They'd never seen their teacher being emotional, after all.

''Ichika… please… wake up.'' Chifuyu could only say with a meager voice as she was kneeling beside his body. Her clothes were covered with Ichika's blood because of her efforts to wake up her brother.

Chifuyu turned her face towards the crowd of girls. They were all frightened as they saw the angry expression on Chifuyu's face. The one they'd never seen before.

''WHO DID THIS TO MY LITTLE BROTHER!?'' She screamed in anger.

The crowd soon turned their eyes towards Rin.

''Y-YOU! YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!'' Chifuyu said with unwavering hatred in her voice. The girls could soon feel the sheer hatred emitting from their teacher. Killing intent was fully directed towards Rin and the girls around her. They all felt like they'd suffocate soon.

Crying Rin simply ran away from the scene. Other girls just watched. Many still couldn't keep their eyes off Ichika's bloodied corpse.

Though she was angry, Chifuyu did not run after Rin as she wanted to stay at Ichika's side. She continued inspecting her little brother's body.

''He breathes still. His lungs are still working...'' Chifuyu could notice a very small hope about the survival of her brother.

''Maya! Please! Someone! Contact the damn hospital! We need all of them here to help Ichika!'' Chifuyu shouted. She managed to get herself somewhat together, though still shocked. Her assistant teacher Maya managed to shake off her panicked feelings as she heard Chifuyu's shouting. She then walked inside the Academy building to contact the medical professionals.

* * *

As it had quickly spread throughout the Academy, the information about the possible demise of Orimura Ichika shocked the international community. The Japanese Government, as the 'caretaker' of IS Academy, had to quickly gather all the best professional surgeons and other medical professionals in order to save Ichika's life. Many talented people were located in Japan but the Japanese Government also hoped that other highly-talented medical professionals would come from other countries to help in the effort to save Ichika. The death of Ichika would be a catastrophic blow to the IS development as he was the only man able to pilot IS. If he ever died, especially this soon, there might never be a possibility for men to pilot IS ever again. Biological data and a sufficient amount of data from Byakushiki had not been collected from him, so losing Ichika now would be disastrous.

It didn't take long for the international community and especially the media to realize that what had happened to Ichika. The true reason for his fatal injuries. It shocked everyone to know that a fellow student had attempted to kill him. A reason was dubious, too. A jealous childhood friend had attempted to kill the sole male IS user in anger. As the medical people arrived at the Academy to retrieve Ichika to safety, the Japanese police were also sent to detain Lingyin Huang (Rin), the Representative Candidate of China. It was the job of Japan to take of care of cases, such as these when it concerned the ISA. Though, this was actually the first of its kind since no such incident like attempted murder of a student had ever happened.

The Chinese Government immediately received international backlash for sending an IS pilot that was extremely hazardous to a fellow student. First, China responded by saying that her true nature was not obvious to them as they knew that Lingyin Huang had personally requested to be enrolled in the Academy for she wanted to be there because Ichika was going to be there. The Government admitted that she had mental characteristics like hotheadedness but that was to be expected from a 15-year-old girl. China also defended by saying that they couldn't have any idea that she would ever hurt Orimura Ichika since they were childhood friends. However, despite many reasons the Chinese Government tried to give, they had no choice but to strip off the RepCan status from Lingyin Huang because of the crime, she'd committed.  
The incident regarding the fate of Orimura Ichika quickly disrupted the normality of the school life in the IS Academy. Various 'close' friends and other students were interviewed about Orimura Ichika. All the future lessons for all the classes were canceled for the undefined amount of time. Since there was really nothing else happening in the Academy, the media simply 'got' in the Academy to disrupt the lives of the girls there. It was now the perfect time for gossip magazines to gain readers and income by capitalizing on this horrible incident.

Gossip magazines and the media wanted to know if there was some drama within the Academy that might have caused this ordeal. A rumor quickly spread that Ichika had been in a relationship with Charlotte Dunois and that might have caused jealousy in Lingyin Huang. Much to the shame of Dunois Enterprise, the true gender of Charlotte Dunois was revealed to the world. This, sadly, only reaffirmed the fact that there was no other male pilot than Orimura Ichika, which only made the stakes higher for the people who were trying to nurse Ichika back to health. The media also managed to gather information about the skirmishes between the girls, which usually involved Orimura Ichika in some way. Much to the dismay of the RepCan girls like Cecilia, the media suspected them all having feelings towards Ichika. The media really was the master of gossip.

Though Orimura Chifuyu had always held the respect of all the people throughout the world, many did question why wasn't she present there in the class when this whole ordeal happened. She was, after all, the teacher of Class 1-1. Some blame was directed towards Yamada Maya. Chifuyu did not comment much on the incident or take interviews but Chifuyu defended herself by saying that it was surprising for any teacher, especially for the assistant teacher Yamada Maya, that a fellow student would suddenly attack another student outside the Arena where the mock battles were usually held. She did regret, though, that there had not been any preparations for such an event. And also, there was not sufficient amount of time for either Ichika or Maya to properly to defend themselves against or repeal a surprise attack committed by a fellow student as deploying IS units in the Academy building was strictly forbidden. Orimura Chifuyu decided to take a short leave for a while because of the whole incident. The high possibility of her brother dying like this was too much for her to bear. For the time being, Yamada Maya would hold Chifuyu's responsibilities as the Class 1-1 teacher.

* * *

The situation in the high-tech hospital in Tokyo was frantic. Amusingly, if someone dared to use that word, it was only because of the one person that was operated there. The personnel knew that failing to save Orimura Ichika would have catastrophic consequences, so even the highly experienced surgeons had quite low morale at the moment.

''How critical is the situation for Orimura?'' A nurse asked.

''He is close to dying. It is remarkable that he did not die there when he'd sustained such fatal injuries because of the blast from Chinese RepCan's Impact Cannons.'' A surgeon said.

''What must be done in order to save him?''

''I believe we can save him, though, with high cost.'' The surgeon sadly remarked.

''His limbs have sustained such damage so that they must be amputated. Mortification process of his limbs had already started when he laid on the ground and now it's quickly spreading.''

Another nurse stared in shock but then again, these things happened often. Especially, in military engagements and car collisions.

''His internal organs have also been damaged. Some of them must be replaced as well. Luckily, some of them can be fixed with surgery but it doesn't decrease the danger of death for the male Orimura.''

''Considering how many surgeries we have to perform in rapid succession, who knows how many risks might go on top of each other and the possibility of death for our patient might be quite high. However, we all have known ever since we saw the state of his body with our naked eyes.''

''It seems… so hopeless.'' One nurse sulked.

''We can't give up. We haven't even tried yet. We must operate him. And we must not give up hope! We've encountered many hopeless situations before this!'' Another surgeon said. She always had a demeanor that motivated her coworkers. Even if this might be the most challenging surgery they've ever performed, they had given their all in order to save the only male IS pilot in the world. She then gave her a bright smile, which lit everyone to action.

''She… She's right. Not giving up. Let's give our all to save this boy.''

''Surgery #1 starts.''

Failure was _not_ an option for them.

* * *

**(A week later)**

It had taken a week just to operate a single boy back to the person that even resembled a living being. Many surgeons were employed as it took so long to perform multiple surgeries. Though, the always optimistic female surgeon somehow managed to be present at every surgery. It seemed that she tolerated lack of sleep well. The sleep deprivation did not seem to affect her like it did the other surgeons, so the risk of doing a mistake was nonexistent, unless she just made a human error anyways, which was always likely in every surgery. Perhaps her talent was attributed for also being talented IS pilot. Usually, some pilots had a side gig but this was not a side gig for her. Iris took her job as a surgeon as seriously as an IS pilot.

A different man would emerge from this surgery. More in a spiritual sense than in physical since his physical appearance was somewhat the same if one could ignore all the scars across his body.

A busty woman with short hair called Iris Calling, who had dedicated herself to nurse Ichika back to life, was ready to tell Ichika's older sister Chifuyu the news about the surgery finally being over. Iris was the one who oversaw Ichika's every surgery during the past week and because of that, it was safe to say that Iris was more than just exhausted.

''So… the final surgery is complete, then?'' Orimura Chifuyu asked. She'd finally arrived at the hospital when she heard that final surgery was in-progress.

''Yes. We are confident that he would function normally in the future.'' Iris said. Tiredness could be heard in her voice. A sigh of relief could be then heard – from both Chifuyu and Iris.

''That's great,'' Chifuyu said. Her brother was not going to die, after all.

''It was the most difficult task I'd ever taken. So many surgeries to perform. And so much at stake but we finally managed to survive through this whole ordeal.''

''Almost all of his body was wrecked in some way because of the blast,'' Iris said.

''What was the part of the body that didn't sustain damage, then?'' Chifuyu inquired. It had looked like that everything in Ichika's physical body had to be fixed.

''Well… his reproductive organs managed to survive intact.'' Iris slightly blushed.

''Hmph. That is somewhat amusing.''

''Yes, if to put it in that words. Had those been damaged, Ichika would've been sterile for the rest of his life. That can't be fixed even with modern medicine.''

The situation had almost become awkward because the discussion suddenly was about Ichika's genitals but Chifuyu was relieved that Ichika could get his own offspring. Otherwise, the revelation about never being able to have children would have destroyed Ichika.

''So is everything now back to normal, then?'' Chifuyu asked. Even after multiple extensive surgeries, one would expect that not all was back to normal in Orimura Ichika.

''Well. Modern medicine is not advanced enough to fix things regarding his brain. Namely, the damage regarding his memories and personality. We do suspect that his memories are intact but about his personality, we're not so sure. However, we did not expect a sudden change in Ichika. It's not like this incident would suddenly turn him from a good-hearted man to a psychopath or something. Though, we must keep an eye on him about possible personality changes. The blast of the Impact Cannons was extremely lethal in every way possible and it might have caused some internal, unrepairable damaged in the brain. At least, his brain activity wasn't damaged in another way like making him unable to walk or see, so there is a silver lining.''

Chifuyu could only nod at the long statement made by Iris. She hoped that nothing had changed too much in her beloved brother. She'd grown too accustomed to her foolish lovable brother – even if it was sometimes obnoxious to watch – but it was something that made him such a lovable brother in her eyes.

Because the media had been vigilant past these days, every detail about the personal life of Orimura Ichika was public knowledge. Many were amused as they now knew why Ichika hadn't gotten a girlfriend in the IS Academy where the girls were the most plentiful as it could get. Now, all considered this boy to be the densest man on the planet. A man who had ignored the advances of the opposite sex so many times that it was odd that he wasn't actually gay. It left many to wonder what had actually lead to his fatal situation.

* * *

**(Back to Ichika)**

After all the painful memories returned to Ichika's mind, he could only frown in anger. So far, life as the only male IS pilot hadn't been so great. And it wasn't just because of this incident.

''All I've done for them. They've just given me shit back.''

''When I try to be the hero of the day, I'm still the damn villain because I don't acknowledge their romantic feelings.''

''Rin apparently 'loved' me, didn't she?''

''That didn't prevent her from using those Impact Cannons of hers.''

''Should've known something was wrong about her ever since she stepped into the Academy. She did threaten to seriously hurt me, basically to torture me, during the Interclass Tournament. And that was for… that odd promise I made for her years ago. I just thought it was about some damn food because she was always a food enthusiastic. I've noticed the romantic implications only now, though...''

''Marriage. Yes... It was, wasn't it? That was what she meant with it. When we would be married and living together or something like that, she'd provide sweet and sour pork. What a damn complicated promise with unclear words to define it. She should've been blunt. Her parents had already gotten divorced, come to think of it. Perhaps, it had a tremendous effect on her psyche. Either way, it didn't justify how she treated me all this time. Angry outbursts all the time when I was with her. Yeah, other girls were always there with me taking my attention away from her. But how can I avoid other girls because all my classmates and people at the Academy are damn girls!''

''The same applies to Houki. Always frowning, always angry at me for some petty reason. She was right to switch the damn rooms. Always something to get angry about and then hit me with her bokkun at me. It happened the damn first day, too, when I entered our room but she had just exited the shower. It wasn't my damn fault. I had no hand in choosing my roommates. Why didn't they just give me a private room since I'm a special case? Come to think of it, before Rin blasted me with those cannons… Houki was ready to beat me with bokkun. I'm not sure why she even carries it to her own classroom. Is she always there ready to beat some sense to me or what?!''

''That damn IS had an odd effect on every girl on this planet. Many female students looked down on me because of my gender. Not even men did this. It was what men might have done in the distant past but now it's like we're going back to the past but the roles are now reversed. Cecilia was quite obnoxious because of her ojou-sama behavior. It did not stop even after I defeated her – though I did lose technically. She is still the same arrogant girl that I met on the very first day.''

''Hmph… She had feelings towards me too… It was too hard to believe that all of them liked me in some way. But was it even genuine love for me? Only a fake image of me in their minds? No love at all?''

Ichika was lost in his conflicted thoughts. The pain that was still present in his body did not matter to him anymore. He was too immersed in his thoughts. Ichika was now clenching his fists in anger. He'd finally managed to clench them so hard that the nails of his fingers were digging his palm.

''At least… Even though she did lie to me – to us all – but she was forced to do so. Charlotte was at least genuinely helpful and good person. She did help me to use IS. No one else did, not even my sister ever wanted to help me. Cecilia did offer help… but it was to get some alone time with me – not to actually help me to advance my skills.''

''And then there's Laura.''

''How funny to think that my former nemesis did try to save me from death. Very amusing, indeed.''

''I will not soon forget that shocked expression on her face. It felt so unnatural for her. She was, after all, born to be a stoic soldier of some sorts. Did she genuinely care about me then? That expression held genuine caring emotion behind it… But why, though? Was it the comforting words I said to her when she was in that VT System and close to dying? She did try to save me… and was close to saving me but it was, in the end, a futile attempt. I must thank her… and thank Charlotte as well. At least, they were there for my "sake for once and not just for their own sakes like the rest of the girls.''

''The girls should've been honest to me all along. I've seen so many girls and boys being honest with each other and confessing about their true feelings in middle school. What was so difficult for these girls? It's time that I confess to them how I feel about them. This has to come to an end, now.''

* * *

**(Later that morning)**

''Can I go watch how Ichika is doing?'' Chifuyu asked Iris.

''Sure. I can show the way. I am interested in his condition as well, so I will accompany you.''

''I see no problem in that. You're the professional, after all.'' Chifuyu gave a small smile to Iris. Iris smiled back. Then they walked towards the medical room where Ichika was.

They expected to see Ichika asleep but there he was already awake. The sight was quite eerie for Chifuyu.

''Ichika!''

He then watched to his left, where the entrance and the women were.

''Y-you still remember me right? Nothing has happened to your memory or anything?''

''Of course, I remember you, Chifuyu,'' Ichika said with a slightly annoyed voice. It was not a voice that Chifuyu was used to. Ichika was usually brimming with joy as he did as a child. That was no longer the case, apparently. And he had also left out the 'nee'-suffix. It was like she was not his older sister anymore.

''And who is this woman?'' Ichika asked with slight anger in his voice. He wasn't interested in guests.

''I'm Iris Calling, one of your surgeons,'' Iris answered. She wasn't actually very worried about Ichika's behavior since she didn't know him personally as Chifuyu did. Though the tense atmosphere did catch her attention about the possible change in the former Ichika.

"Oh, you are?'' Ichika was surprised and his demeanor completely changed.

''Yes. I took a week to… nurse you back to help. I was present in every surgery.''

''So, it took that long, eh? "And you were present at every surgery? That's impressive.'' Ichika stated. Even more surprised than previously.

''Well, thank you. I always want to do my best. This was my most difficult task ever. You'd received so many fatal injuries.''

''It must be I then who must thank you.'' Ichika rose from the bed where he'd been for so long.

"I don't think you should rise up yet, Ichika-kun,'' Iris ordered him "with the worried voice.

"I don't care. I must thank you. I have something to give you, Iris.'' Ichika interjected. He made a mischievous smile.

"Just saying 'thank you' was enough for me, so you should-'' Iris's voice was interrupted by a kiss. Unexpectedly bold action by Ichika.

"WH-WHAT... HE IS _KISSING_ ME?!'' Iris could only think. It was her first, too, even for "a beautiful woman like her. Ichika was unexpectedly courageous. This definitely shocked Chifuyu who was next to both of them. Ichika continued deepening the kiss and grabbing Iris's waist and pulling her close to him.

Iris could only mumble while Ichika was kissing her. She was right that something might be different about Ichika.

He could notice a flash of light coming from the entrance. Someone must have taken a photo of this intimate moment between the two. Ichika then removed his lips from Iris's. She was beginning to kiss him back before he stopped kissing. She had a glowing blush on her face, completely red, too. No man has been bold enough to do that to her. Even her male colleagues did watch her that way but no one had ever acted. None of them even confessed about their feelings towards her, even if Iris knew how they felt about her.

Ichika stared at the entrance where it seemed that the whole personnel was watching. He could see some of the men looking at him with hatred. And the women had amazed and surprised expressions on their faces. Chifuyu looked at Iris with jealousy burning in her eyes. Now another woman was taking his attention. Chifuyu did not like this. She was supposed the only woman in her life – as his older sister. Ichika only gave a smile at them. His eyes were serious and the face brimmed with confidence. The other women blushed at his glare and the other men just frowned.

''This damn womanizer.'' Then men could only think. They must have now regretted saving Ichika's life.

''Chifuyu.'' Ichika's voice changed back to serious. It was more like the voice Chifuyu usually had since she was always proper and serious in order to keep up her image.

''Yes?''

''I guess you should contact the girls about my condition then.''

''I don't think it's no longer necessary after the stunt you just did.''

Ichika could only smile at her.

* * *

**(IS Academy)**

Although no girl was sobbing anymore about what happened to Ichika, it had been tense for many days ever since the incident that took place here in the Class 1-1. Now it would get even spicier.

''GIRLS! I have something to tell you!'' One of the students rushed to the class and interrupted the lesson Yamada Maya was holding.

''I don't think you should be here.'' Yamada-sensei tried to say to the girl but the student was too fired up to listen to her statement.

"It's about Orimura-kun!''

''EH? Is he alive?''

''No- Well, yes! But…''

''… Look at _THIS_!''

There Ichika was. But not like they had expected. Kissing another woman passionately.

''''''''''''EEEEEEHHHH?'''''''''''''

The whole damn class screamed, including Maya.

''Since… since when he was like that?'' Cecilia could only ask. She thought Ichika was the densest man she'd ever met.

''It was not her who kissed him! Look how he grabbed her by the waist!''

''So it was he who took the initiative! She looks surprised as well!''

All the girls were jealous of the female surgeon. They knew her, too. Iris Calling was a world-famous surgeon and a talented IS pilot, after all.

''Ichika no ecchi!'' Charlotte shouted. Though, she wouldn't mind getting a kiss from Ichika.

''Why didn't Ichika kiss any of us while he was here all this time?'' One of the girls asked. A similar question mark was on top of the head of every girl in this classroom.

''Maybe… He's into older women! We never stood a chance!'' Another girl said.

The girls were panicking. Maybe there was a reason why Ichika had not paid any attention them maybe it because he wasn't interested in girls who were as old as him.

At least Yamada Maya seemed hopeful. She was an older woman even if she looked like a high school girl than an actual adult.

''I hope he likes... big chests... like I have.'' Maya blushed as she thought vulgar things about Ichika.

''Look how jealous Orimura-sensei is! She must be a brocon!''

''Can you blame her? Having a brother like him? I would be all over him if I was his sister!'' A girl giggled. Some of the girls were making more exciting statements.

''Hey!'' After realizing something important, Charlotte interrupted the girls and managed to the girls from going further crazy.

''Now we can visit him!'' She added happily.

The girls were looking now hopeful, especially, Charlotte, Houki and Cecilia – and Laura who had been silent through this whole ordeal.

''Can't wait to see Ichika,'' Houki thought. But then she sulked as she remembered what Ichika had done to Iris.

''Those scars didn't look too good on him. I hope my bride-to-be is alright.'' Laura could only think and worry about Ichika.

* * *

**(Back at the hospital)**

After causing a ruckus at the hospital by making all the men there jealous and all the women enthralled with him by kissing their fabled surgeon Iris Calling, Ichika decided to rest at his hospital bed. Chifuyu was still in the hospital. Ichika told her to soon join the conversation with the girls. He knew that the girls would now come to visit him after seeing the photo taken by the people in the hospital.

In fact, the whole of Japan and the rest of the world lost their marbles, especially in the United States, since it was the place where Iris Calling was from, as they saw on the internet what Ichika had done to Iris. Many had anxiously waited if Ichika had survived the many surgeries they had to do to him. This was an unexpected move from Ichika. The media had just thought he was Mr. Dense by interviewing the girls of the Academy.

Although the day had started with the happy bang, Ichika had nothing good planned for the girls who were soon to be here visiting him. He had to settle the issue with the girls once and for all.

''He's in this room, right?'' Charlotte's innocent voice could just be heard in the corridor, outside the medical room.

''Yeah, they said it was this room.'' Houki's voice could be also heard.

''Yes! My fiancée is there!'' Laura said happily, which was unusual to hear for the other girls. So far, Laura had been a silent and stoic girl.

''Wh-what?! Your fiancée? Since when?'' Cecilia furiously opposed such an arrangement.

''Since that day! When I tried to save him from that crazy Chinese girl!'' Laura continued her nonsensical talking.

''B-but... Has he even agreed to be your fiancée?'' Houki then asked. She was as confused as the rest of the girls.

''This is not a matter of consent. He is my future wife and my word is final.'' Laura said stubbornly.

''Your wife? I think you got the words mixed up. He should be your husband, not wife. You are the wife if two of you ever got married.'' Charlotte argued. While her voice was not as antagonistic as the other girls', she did not want Laura to marry Ichika.

Oblivious Laura ignored Charlotte's words.

''Where the hell does Laura get her information?'' Houki could only think. It seemed that Laura wasn't exactly an expert when it came to the things regarding the normal life,

Then, the group of bickering four girls soon arrived at the room where Ichika was sleeping. And there Ichika was soundly sleeping. Every now and then Ichika could feel pain in his repaired body. Even some phantom pain could be felt despite the fact that he had new limbs and all. Because of the pain and tiredness, Ichika decided to sleep even if the girls might come to visit him.

His breathing was normal, unlike a week ago, when he got fatally wounded by Rin. The scars were still visible on Ichika's face. It was quite clear that at least some of them might never fully heal even with the help of modern medicine.

''He still looks scarred as he did that day,'' Charlotte remarked with a sad voice.

''It's my fault! I shouldn't have revealed my gender that day! I didn't even ask Ichika if I should do it! And now, look where it led to!'' Charlotte started crying heavily. It was heartbreaking to watch, even for the rival girls who competed for the affection of Ichika.

''Charlotte...'' Houki could only say with a shocked face.

The others looked at her with pity. They didn't have time to give her comforting words to Charlotte as the voice interrupted them.

''It was not your fault, Charlotte.'' Ichika surprised the girls.

Ichika then rose from the bed where he'd been comfortably sleeping. He had eavesdropped the girls ever since they arrived in the room. It was hard not to hear the door open. To comfort her, Ichika then embraced Charlotte by hugging her. Charlotte's weeping immediately.

''It was that insane girl, Rin,'' Ichika continued with the angry tone while hugging Charlotte. Ichika then released himself from Charlotte's embrace. Charlotte groaned quietly because she wished that it would've lasted longer. Ichika's angry expression remained on his face when Ichika reminded himself of Rin.

''Ichika... He is... different somehow. Scarier... too. That might explain why he kissed Iris.'' Houki thought and then became jealous once again as she got reminded by the kiss Ichika had given to Iris.

''What's up with him? I've never seen him that angry. His face is scary too. Must be because of those scars of his.'' Cecilia could only think. She was slightly frightened of the changed demeanor of Ichika.

''So. You finally arrived. I thought I should first contact you but... I knew that kiss I gave to that female surgeon must have ruffled some feathers at the Academy. And it was only a matter of time when you four would arrive here.'' Ichika said with a smirk on his face. It was not a smile that girls were used to seeing. Usually, it was warm and kind but now it was more mischievous and eerie to them.

The girls were glad that he was no longer angry but seeing him flaunt about the kiss he'd given to Iris made them slightly angry.

''What was that kiss you gave to that woman?!'' Houki confronted Ichika. He wasn't surprised that the girls would confront him. Houki being jealous was something that Ichika even expected from her by knowing her for so long.

''Ah yes. That kiss. Well, it was just a reward for her service. Did you know Iris Calling had been present at every surgery that was operated on me? She had been dedicated to saving me. Such dedication should, of course, be rewarded by a kiss. It was the right choice.'' Ichika explained with a growing smile.

This did not make Houki feel any better. Because of the smile that Ichika was showing, Houki started to suspect that he might have some feelings towards the woman.

''Speaking of giving rewards to people have done right to me.'' Ichika continued.

''Laura. Come forward.'' Ichika ordered with a voice that sounded like Chifuyu's.

Laura Bodewig instinctively stepped forward since he sounded so much like her beloved instructor.

''Yes, Orimura-kun.'' She answered with a formal voice but a faint blush could be seen on her face. She did not expect Ichika talking to her like that.

''Although you did not manage to save me. I was surprised to see that you attempted to save your former enemy. That's admirable. I see that you are actually better than most of the girls at the Academy. We must have misjudged you or you must have changed ever since that VT System incident. Either way, you've become even a better person than you were under Chifuyu's tutelage.'' Ichika said lengthly.

Laura blushed heavily at Ichika's words. To her, they sounded like compliments given by Chifuyu, which she never gave to Laura, though she always wished that Chifuyu would compliment her.

Houki and Cecilia were almost fuming at Ichika's kind words to Laura.

''Does he even acknowledge us? Why does he compliment Laura all of a sudden? She was his enemy!'' Cecilia and Houki thought in unison.

''She even slapped him!'' Houki was confused about Ichika's behavior.

''What next? Will he go to prison to see Rin and accept her apologies or something? Cecilia then thought.

The next move by Ichika was, however, even more, surprising than Cecilia's suspicions.

Ichika stepped closer to Laura. Ichika's close presence made her blush even more.

''As a reward for your valiant effort, let me give you a reward.'' Ichika gave a warm smile, which made Laura go crazy in her small heart.

Like Ichika had done to the female surgeon, Ichika then grabbed Laura by her waist, which was small and soft compared to an adult woman's body, and pulled her to a deep kiss.

Inexperienced in things like love Laura could only blush even more and mumble something as Ichika kissed her. She could be there forever enjoying his kisses.

''WHAT?!'' All the girls screamed. They did not act, however. The girls stood frozen and watched Laura and Ichika kissing.

Ichika ignored their shouting and his hands moved around her petite body and then they reached her silver hair and he then moved his fingers in Laura's hair. It brought so much pleasure to Laura. She tried to say his name but it was impossible because of the kiss. Ichika kept stroking her hair during the long kiss.

Much to Laura's disappointment, however, Ichika then pulled away. He saw that it was enough already.

''Your mouth tastes like military rations... However, it's not bad tasting or anything.'' Ichika commented.

Laura did not answer to Ichika's comment.

''He kissed me... He kissed me...'' Laura kept talking to herself with a quiet voice. Her face was also as red as a tomato.

Her mind was overflowing as she had never experienced something like this before. This can be attributed to her former military life.

''Wh-what was that Ichika? Why are you kissing girls all of a sudden, Ichika?'' Charlotte asked. Her eyes were still wide about the passionate kiss Ichika and Laura had just made before them.

''Good that you asked Charlotte. I have something to give you as well.'' Ichika then stopped speaking and started walking towards Charlotte.

Charlotte's face started to turn red as Ichika's confident presence got near her. Cecilia's and Houki's eyes already widened as they understood what was going to happen next.

However, Ichika started talking, instead.

''Past these weeks... Despite the company that all of the girls had given me... I still felt quite alone with them. Moreover, I did not often feel comfortable around them.'' Ichika sighed.

''However.'' Ichika then smiled again.

''You had been a good friend ever since you arrived here. Although then I thought that you were a boy. But in retrospect, it's a good thing that you weren't a boy. Otherwise, I can't give you a reward that you deserve the most than any other girl here.''

Charlotte's heart raced harder than ever before in her life. Her most beloved friend and the love interest was going to kiss her. She quickly decided to prepare for the kiss by readying her lips to a kissing position.

Charlotte's body trembled slightly as she could feel a strong grip taking her by her waist. Her heavily blushed face opened her already closed eyes and Charlotte watched above her only to see Ichika smiling there and him being ready to kiss her on the lips.

Then their lips finally touched when Ichika took the initiative to kiss Charlotte.

Unlike Laura and Iris, Charlotte decided to wrap her small arms around Ichika's body, tightening their bodies together and deepening their passionate kiss. Ichika's hands started to wander around Charlotte's slender but curvy body and a small moan escaped her lips as Ichika continued touching her.

Ichika did not stop kissing Charlotte. Instead, Ichika took a firm grip on Charlotte and pushed her against the wall. The kiss got even more sensual when both started french kissing.

A gasp could finally be heard from the girls who had been watching silently their lovemaking.

''He didn't do it to me like that. What an unfaithful wife.'' Laura thought jealously. After Ichika kissed her, Laura now assumed they were officially married.

''Oh my god... Are... Are they going to have sex? It sure looks like it!'' Cecilia panicked in her mind but did not do anything to interrupt the event happening before her.

''How dare Ichika... How dare they do it like that before our... Before MY eyes!'' Houki got angered. Jealousy was fuming in her.

''Aaaahhh~,'' A loud moan could be heard exiting Charlotte's mouth as Ichika stopped kissing her on the lips – finally allowing her to moan aloud – and instead, he kissed Charlotte on her neck. Ichika started moving his hands around Charlotte's frontal body and even slightly groping Charlotte's breasts.

Another even more erotic moan escaped her mouth, which was louder than the previous one.

Houki couldn't stand the sight before her anymore.

''PLEASE! STOP THIS!'' She then shouted.

Ichika abruptly stopped kissing Charlotte. She groaned in disappointment. The best part was just starting in her opinion. A small hickey could be seen on Charlotte's neck where Ichika had intensely kissed her and thus leaving his mark on her.

Shortly after Ichika had stopped kissing Charlotte, Ichika furiously clenched his right fist.

Then Ichika slammed his fist into a wall. Sudden use of force with his hand made all the girls frightened. He had never displayed such anger in their presence.

Ichika then looked at his knuckles. There was no trace of blood because Ichika's hands were not his own flesh and blood. Instead, it was cybernetics, made from metal and various wires – and made of all kinds of technology Ichika couldn't comprehend. It only had some skin-looking tissue on it so it would look like a human hand. The wall, on the other hand, had a hole on it, which was about the size of Ichika's fist.

Ichika's mood – the atmosphere of the room as well – shifted immediately as he hatefully glared at Houki.

''You dare interrupt our intimate moment, Houki,'' Ichika said her name with a hateful tone.

''Ichika, I-''

''I don't want to hear another of your excuses. It's a miracle you haven't hit me with your bokkun yet. The thing you always use to discipline as I do something wrong in your eyes.'' Ichika stated.

''Isn't that right, Houki?'' Ichika continued with a confrontational voice as he continued walking towards Houki.

Houki kept stammering, unable to say anything to Ichika's question.

''Finally, you're on the defensive like I had to be all the time when I spent time with you, Houki.'' Ichika kept talking seriously.

''It should be obvious by now that I won't kiss you, Houki,'' Ichika emphasized on her name as he spoke.

A great feeling of dread and sadness swept over Houki's body as she heard Ichika say that he wouldn't kiss her. And Ichika's way of saying also seemed to imply to Houki that she might never receive a kiss from Ichika. After realizing this, she could only feel slightly depressed.

''And I know Cecilia you've been having hopes that I would kiss you as well. I could see that on your face. But you never deserved one,'' Ichika remarked.

Cecilia's eyes lit up but then they saddened as she heard Ichika say the last sentence. So far, Cecilia had thought that she deserved a kiss from Ichika as Charlotte and Laura had.

''There's much to criticize about you two.'' Ichika's rant kept continuing.

''First. Cecilia. I had thought that your ojou-sama behavior would stop after the duel we had against each other. Too bad, you're still an annoying arrogant bitch.''

Cecilia slightly gasped at Ichika's vulgar insult towards her. But she didn't say anything.

''And you're also so damn possessive of me! Like Houki – and like Rin!''

''What do you mean? I haven't done anything to hurt you. Except for that first day...'' Cecilia wondered aloud.

''I see you stalking me behind the bushes. Sometimes with Rin!''

''And besides. I wonder if you had tried to kill me or hurt me in some way when Charlotte revealed her gender because your expression wasn't exactly nice, was it?''

''I swear I wouldn't have! I-'' Cecilia tried to convince Ichika.

''Silence.'' Ichika snarled at Cecilia. She became silent instantly.

''And now you, Houki.''

Houki became slightly scared as she saw Ichika's intimidating face. His scars only made his expression even scarier.

''It is ironic how my so-called 'childhood friends' have been the ones most hurting towards me. Isn't that right, Houki?'' Ichika's voice was confrontational.  
Houki didn't respond. Ichika didn't expect her to answer.

''It was certainly a surprise that it wasn't you who tried to kill me but Rin.''

''I'm not like Rin! I would've never tried to kill you! I swear!'' Houki tried to defend herself.

''Oh, quit the bullshit! I saw your bokkun on your hand before Rin blasted me! Either way, you would've tried to hurt me if Rin hadn't done it!'' Ichika said angrily.

''Your tsundere-like behavior has finally caught up to you. I can't stand it anymore. Did you all expect me to take a hit after another?'' Houki or Cecilia didn't answer.

The girls just were silent because of Ichika's harsh rant. They never expected him to behave this way. Most of them surely assumed that the incident somewhat must be blamed.

Charlotte, who had listened with her eyes wide and with some blush still on her cheeks, felt slight pity for the girls. But then again, Charlotte had been a bystander in many situations when the other girls tried to cause harm to Ichika whether by accident or by will. So, Charlotte couldn't feel too sorry for the girls. They've finally gotten what they deserved.

Then, a voice broke the eerie silence.

''Ichika.''

Everyone turned their eyes to the entrance.

Chifuyu was standing there.

''What was that noise that I could hear hitting the wall?'' She confronted Ichika.

''Oh, that? I was merely testing the strength of my fist. Quite the punch, right?'' Ichika lied with confidence.

Chifuyu immediately knew that it wasn't the true reason why there was a punch hole on the wall. But she didn't bother to press that issue any further.

''Anyway, Ichika. You had asked me to talk to you. Girls included. It seems.'' She simply stated.

''That's right. Too bad you couldn't hear it all. However, your turn is just now, Chifuyu-san.''

Chifuyu was slightly puzzled why Ichika didn't use 'nee'-suffix anymore, which symbolized their familial relationship.

''I have to be blunt with you Chifuyu. You've been a shitty sister ever since I arrived at the Academy.''

Ichika's statement shocked Chifuyu, to put it mildly.

''B-but how?! I put you here for your protection!''

''Yeah, how well did that turn out? You've been humiliating me constantly for my failures! I already have high expectations for being the only male IS pilot and being your little brother!'' Ichika's voice was becoming hateful.

''How can I be good at piloting an IS if many have received training already? I'm just a damn rookie! You haven't helped me in any regard to developing my IS skills. I thought you would but you just keep mocking me!''

''I... I thought that treating you harshly would make you stronger,'' was the only thing she could answer.

''Well shit, aren't you stupid then. I am in an overwhelming environment and plagued by high expectations and everyone's chasing after me! You should have comforted me at least some way!''

''I can't... can't show favoritism on the job, Ichika,'' was Chifuyu's another meager response.

''Really? You could have made me feel better in private. For example, visit me in my dorm room or outdoors. We barely met after the lessons. You always keep your distance from me. Just like in the past.''

''Ichika... I swear I care about you. I saved you back then!'' Chifuyu tried to convince Ichika but no avail.

''You dare pull that card! The nerve! Ever since then it's like I've never had a sister. Always away. Always somewhere. And when I finally see you at our house, you barely acknowledge me.''

Chifuyu wasn't able to respond to Ichika's scolding. She was used to be one to do that. Her stern demeanor started to crack as Ichika continued being spiteful towards her.

She had already been a wreck ever since her little brother almost got killed. The emotional trauma still had to heal.

Ichika stopped his rant towards Chifuyu. And took a slight pause and then continued with another subject.

''But that wasn't all. I know I've spoken too much today even for my own liking. Here's the final thing I'm going to tell you all about.''

''After everything that has happened to me at the Academy, I've had a moment of clarity ever since I woke up from the hospital bed.'' Ichika paused and sighed.

''And I've made my decision recently but I stand firmly behind it. I have decided to leave the IS Academy forever.'' Ichika said.

Everyone was shocked. This only added to the shock created earlier by Ichika's rant towards his sister.

''Wh-what? B-but why? Because of this incident? That's it right?'' Cecilia asked.

''Shit! Didn't you just hear! I've had it with the treatment I've received at the Academy. I rather leave this place.''

''But the girls will surely treat you better after this incident!'' Chifuyu tried to prevent Ichika from leaving.

''Hell no. They won't. Give this incident a month to pass and they will merely ogle at my scars than pity me.''

''And furthermore... I never wanted to be here in the first place! Many men would've been honored to be here with hundreds of women but I didn't!'' Ichika ranted.

''I should've never stepped into that IS room and touch that IS! I only planned to do an exam to get to another high school and live a rather normal life. It didn't end so, did it now?''

''My time here has only been trouble after trouble! It wasn't the life I wanted to lead!'' He made a stronger outburst.

''For my safety and future, I have no reason to remain here,'' Ichika said with conviction, intending to finish the conversation with this. As he was leaving, his sister was still pleading.

''Ichika, please don't leave! I need you here!'' Chifuyu begged with tears starting form in her eyes.

''What for, exactly? To hit me with your book again, again and again?'' Ichika confronted.

''NO! I don't want to see you go away! You're everything I have!'' Chifuyu cried.

''What difference does it make to me, though? If I leave you now, it makes no difference, really. Because you're never there for me anyway.''  
Chifuyu gripped Ichika's collar, trying to prevent him from leaving.

''Please... Ichika... Don't leave... The... world will hurt you. I'm sure of it. You'll only be safe here!'' She continued sobbing.

It even ached Ichika's heart to see his sister for becoming a wrecked woman in a moment but Ichika stood by his conviction. In his furious state, Ichika did not empathize with his sister like usually would. But no matter what his sister tried to say, Ichika had to leave the Academy for good.

''I'm quite certain that all countries and corporations are eager to employ the only male IS pilot in the world. I'm sure of it. I will have a brighter future in another place than here.'' Ichika stated with confidence.

After briefly watching the sad expressions on girls' faces and the wrecked state of his sister, Ichika then decided to leave the hospital even if it wasn't yet time for him to leave. He had no reason to remain at the hospital. At this rate, one of the male nurses or doctors would soon try to kill him. At least, that was what Ichika's paranoia told him constantly. Ichika was certain that his strength will carry him onwards even if it was just a week after the disastrous incident with Rin.

Ichika continued walking towards the entrance of the room. His speed was slow at first. Ichika had not yet fully gotten comfortable with his legs since they were replaced during the surgery. Then he finally reached the entrance, though freedom was not yet achieved since Ichika still had to exit the actual hospital building. But this was the first step, though.

Before Ichika managed to step outside the room, a voice beckoned him to stop. And it wasn't Chifuyu's voice this time.

''Ichika...'' Charlotte said with a shy tone. She was close to crying. This caught Ichika's attention.

''You promised to protect me... right? But... but now you are leaving me...''

''Shit. Shit.'' Ichika could only think. Ichika knew that Charlotte wasn't trying to guilt-trip him or anything. Otherwise, Ichika wouldn't even listen to her and would just continue walking. And Ichika seriously didn't want to betray his good friend like this. Ichika decided to remain silent as he could see that Charlotte would continue to talk.

''I said to you during the bath that I was here only for your sake. Now that you're gone. I've got nothing left.'' Charlotte started sobbing.

''Fuck. I don't want to hurt her. Never.'' Ichika knew that Charlotte was blaming herself for all of this. For that incident and now for this. Then a solution came to his mind. Though, it was hastily thought out. But Ichika didn't really care.

''Charlotte. Listen.'' Ichika tried to stop her sobbing by calling her name aloud, which, in fact, worked.

Charlotte's sad puppy eyes then lay their sight on Ichika.

''Damn. That's too sad and adorable to watch at the same time.'' Ichika could only think. His heart was almost melted by her stare.

''I propose a solution then. It's up to you, though, to accept my proposal.'' Ichika said and then prepared himself mentally. He offered his solution.

''Leave the Academy, and come with me. I'm sure both of us will be offered employment by some big corporation. You have made quite a name for yourself during the tournament and at the Academy. Your skills exceed mine, too.''

''B-but... then I betray my father and his corporation. They already know about my failure but haven't abandoned me yet.'' Charlotte reasoned.

''Charlotte, your own father betrayed you the day he left you and your mother alone. You told me that you were an illegitimate child. And he treats you like one.''

Charlotte saddened as she heard Ichika say about what her own father had done to her and to her own mother all those years. Tears almost formed in her eyes.

''But I won't leave you, Charlotte.''

''Ichika...'' Charlotte smiled again as she got comforted by Ichika's words.

She then pondered for a moment about leaving the Dunois Enterprise.

''Yes, Ichika! I'll come with you! I have nothing here!'' Charlotte ran towards Ichika and embraced him. This ticked off the girls, of course, but they didn't do anything.

''Correct choice, Charlotte-chan. Let's leave.''

Ichika decided to grab Charlotte's hand and then leave this place with her.

''Wait!''

It wasn't Houki, Cecilia or Chifuyu who beckoned them to stop leaving. It was from Laura. Ichika turned around, curious about what she might say. He did kiss her, after all.  
Until this point, Laura had barely talked at all during this lengthy conversation.

''Can I come with you, my wife? There's nothing for me here. My whole reason for coming to the Academy was to eliminate you because I thought you were a weakness for my instructor. But since then I've realized that's not the case, so my mission is over.'' Laura Bodewig started talking with a serious tone.

''W-wait? Her wife? The hell? I'm just gonna ignore that part...'' Ichika thought. Although Laura had just shown her odd antics, Ichika really had no problem with leaving the Academy with them.

''Well, I have no problem with you accompanying us. It is your choice after all.'' Ichika then answered.

''Y-yeah, me neither.'' Charlotte also said although she was a bit bothered by Laura because Charlotte suspected Laura having feelings towards Ichika.

Then, Laura rushed towards Ichika and grabbed his left hand, holding it tight.

''Then let's go, my bride!'' Laura was overjoyed to be with Ichika.

Ichika almost ordered her to back off but Laura showed a cute smile with a small blush on her cheeks, which was unusual for her, so Ichika decided to allow her to hold his hand.

Charlotte (and the others near them) glared at Laura for boldly taking Ichika by his hand but decided not to make a scene as they were just going to leave the hospital.

''Very well then. Let's leave this. We've spent enough time here, haven't we?'' Ichika then watched at Laura and Charlotte, which even made his cheeks rosy.

Then the trio embarked on their journey.


End file.
